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"The one behind all of this Obama_Crap is Rahm Emanuel his chief of staff ."

At the same time President Obama is asking members of Congress to take one of the most politically difficult votes of their careers, he is also pressing lawmakers to give up one of their most valued perks of office: boosting Medicare payments to benefit hometown providers. Behind the scenes, Obama is pushing for a mechanism that would take Medicare payment authority out of the hands of politicians and invest it in a separate entity, possibly under the executive branch. "Structures that fundamentally alter the long-term costs are a must for real health-care reform," said White House Chief of Staff Rahm...snip

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Obama administration officials say they are determined to stem soaring Medicare spending, arguing that it is a root cause of the broader health-care crisis that they are trying to address with Congress. Behind the scenes, Obama is pushing for a mechanism that would take Medicare payment authority out of the hands of politicians and invest it in a separate entity, possibly under the executive branch.

"Structures that fundamentally alter the long-term costs are a must for real health-care reform," said White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel. He called the Medicare payment debate "the least talked-about, most important issue on the table."

House Democrats' health-care proposal, released Tuesday, includes no measures aimed at reversing the long-term cost trajectory of Medicare, a fact that spurred a rebellion among conservative Blue Dog Democrats on the Energy and Commerce Committee, which will begin debate on the House bill today. Rep. Mike Ross (Ark.), a Blue Dog leader and panel member, told reporters yesterday that he has the votes to defeat the package unless it is "substantially amended" to address long-term cost concerns.